Monday, June 16, 2014

Dear family,

How´s it going? Good to hear from everyone and sounds like you a had a good week. I´m in a new area called Ranieri, it´s in the Guarapiranga stake. My new companion is Elder Dudley. He´s from Detroit, Michigan. I´d already worked with E. Dudley before, not as companions, but we were togeter in Parelheiros and Itapecerica. We´re happy to be together a gain. He calls our area the ghetto, but it´s really not. Maybe Monte has heard of Flint, Michigan. He says it reminds him of Flint. We´re teaching some great people and the Bishop is young and has a lot of energy. The Stake President is also excited. This stake is very close to splitting. We´ve been making plans to be able to help out a little.

Some of my best friends on the mission went home this last week. So weird and really sad, but life goes on. Did Preston Pace already get home as well? Hey, I got the Dear Elder package with the Peanut Butter. I love getting those things. Thank you! I live with another companionship of Elders and everyone is asking their mom´s for a package like that now. So... with the World Cup we stayed at home on Thursday and we have to stay home again tomorrow (Brasil is playing). So, tomorrow is really our P-day, we´re just sending email today. Next week we´re going to stay home on Monday and email on Tuesday. It hasn´t been too crazy yet, but it is an interesting environment. It´s like the 4th of July or Christmas, but a lot bigger, at least when Brasil is playing. You also have the protestors, a small percentage of the people, who are against the government saying that they spent way too much money on the Cup when they had bigger problems to worry about. The´re never satisfied. Vai Brrraaassiiilll!

The work goes on. I had the opportunity to go back to my last area for some baptisms on Saturday. Very convenient, because it borders my new area. I baptized a man named Agnaldo. His nickname is Alemão, which means German. He´s a big white guy that didn´t even participate in the lessons when we taught his family. He was always drinking when we went over. The week before he left he said that he wanted to talk to us. He said that he wanted to drop the addictions and be baptized. He was so determined that he stopped with everything in two days, aclohol, smoking, coffee and tea. He got sick and went through withdrawals, but he stayed clean the whole week. He was the happiest I had ever seen him this weekend. He was baptized and now his whole family are members. They can´t wait to pass through the temple. I´m so happy for them. I know that this gospel really changes lives. The atonement was not made for just a few people or just some sins. It was the eternal and infinite sacrifice. Christ came to heal the sinner, each of us. I saw the miracle of the atonement in the life of Agnaldo. I know and testify that we can always be forgiven of our sins. There is always hope. I love you all!

Elder Barker